Making OLEDs At Home

The roadblocks between you and a finished project may be many, some of which you'd never expect: People are more difficult than technology.

The general rule is: "You can never have too many LEDs in your project." In this project, we're interested in only a single LED -- the LED is the project.

The home made OLED shining bright.

Ian Hanschen decided that he wanted to create an OLED from scratch. After researching their construction, he had a firm understanding of what he needed. An OLED is made of several layers of different chemicals sandwiched between two panes of glass, which has a conductive surface.

In his attempts to acquire these parts, as well as the knowledge of how to properly handle and combine them, Ian discovered another difficulty: Many companies didn't want to talk to him at all. They informed him that he didn't have the background, understanding, or materials to properly achieve his goals. Luckily, Ian is persistent.

He was able to find enough people who were willing to supply material and educate him. In the end, he reached his goal. As you can see in the picture above, his OLED is a bright and shining example of what someone lacking a specific skillset can do when they put their mind to it.

Ian, not dissuaded by negative feedback from suppliers.

Ian wants to make this process a bit easier for anyone else who may be interested in replicating it, so he has provided lists of where to get the chemicals and supplies needed, as well as a brief thank you to specific companies that were welcoming and kind instead of dismissive. There is also a slideshow of the entire process of binding the layers between the glass for your viewing pleasure.